Atomizing and evaporating device for vegetables and the like



Aug. 15, 1933. N, B, WALES 1,922,147

ATOMIZING AND EVAPORATING DEVICE FOR VEGETABLES AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 1, 1932 SSheets-Sheet 1 CIRCULATION OF AIR,

EVAPORATION I v INVENTOR Nalhaniel 13. Wales ATTORNEY N. B. WALES Aug. 15, 1933.

ATOMIZING AND EVAPORA'IING DEVICE FOR VEGETABLES AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 1, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ///&Q/7///5 jam E A TORNEY Aug. 15, 1933. a WALES 1,922,147

ATOMIZING AND EVAPORATING DEVICE FOR VEGETABLES AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 1, 1952 3Sheets-Sheet 3 [NVE/VTOR /VA THAN/Fl. B. Mus

,4 ZTORNE y Patented Aug. 15, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Nathaniel B. Wales, New York, N. Y., assignor to Vaporedair Corporation,

New York, N. Y., a

Corporation or New York Application October 1, 1932. Serial No. 635,846

11 Claims.

I'his case is in part a continuation of my copending application for Sales display stand and method of humidifying the same, Serial Number 631,170, the essential additional subject matter being a specific change in the mechanism of atomization and evaporation, and teaching the recirculation of the moisture laden air as carrier for said moisture within a closed structure. Obviously this air will act more efficiently as a carrier as it need not be resaturated continuously as in a non-recirculation type.

My further object in the enclosed type cabinet is to eliminate the possibility of saturating surrounding atmosphere in the room in which the display may be situated and thereby avoid an undue amount of humidity which might prove damaging to other objects in the store.

it is my further object in the within type to provide ureans to direct and control the velocity of the recirculation of the moist or water laden air as a carrier.

A further and additional object is to provide means for a natural circulation of air in the event that I wish to shorten or even entirely eliminate E5 my forced evaporation.

My further object is to provide an enclosed cabinettype which will be more sanitary having increased sales value, provided with transparent panels for display purposes and interior illumination, as well as means for timing the operation of the several cycles of atomization or humidification, intense evaporation and evaporation by natural circulation of air.

I also desire to provide a mechanical element for the accomplishment of these objects, which will be of the simplest possible structure to manuiacture and operate.

It must be, of course, understood that the accompanying drawings illustrate but one preferred embodiment of my invention, and that other variations of the structure and design are within the scope and purport of the claims. It must, of course, be further understood that I may incorporate in this device, in lieu of the timing arrangement a conventional hydrostatic control means responsive to humidity content'as mentioned in my copending application.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which like numbers refer to like parts.

Figure 1 shows a sectional elevation of the device. Figure 2 is a plan view along the plane 2--2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a sectional elevation along the plane at right angles to Figure 1. Figure 4 is a plan view along the plane H or Figure 3. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the assembled cabinet, and Figures 6 and 'I show diagrammatic illustrations of the cycle of operation of the device. Figure 8' shows a diagrammatic detail of one embodiment of. the shutter means, and Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12 inclusive, show a diagrammatic successive operation 01 the valve control means. In the drawings, the frame of the device is constructed or sheet metal and other suitable material as indicated at 2. The frame may be provided with doors containing glass panels at 52, of Figure 5. At 4 is shown a vertically mounted electric motor supported in the frame 6, preferably with rubber gaskets or washers 8 to eliminate noise and vibrations. The bottom of the cabinet 10 contains water as shown, and the motor drives through the shaft 12 by means of a bearing 16 and spider 15, a truncated cone 14, the top of which is provided with a" plurality of angular surfaces as shown, and the bottom of which is free to turn in the water of the sump. At 3 is shown a surrounding baflie composed of proper sheet material and at 11 is indicated a fan placed exteriorly disposedon the cone to create the iorced draft indicated at 9. At 20 is indicated additional angulated surfaces to further distribute and atomize the water. At 22 is shown a fly ball governor device, which when the motor 4 is silent, will operate through connection 24, and the rod 26 and the lever 28 to close the shutters 3 against the top of the casing 31. Baskets 32 are suppo ed in frames 34. The duct portion 36 is provided with a plurality of openings 38 and the duct 36 is connected with the rearwardly disposed duct 40 which leads downwardly as shown at Figure 4 and Figure 3 to the portion beneath the baflies, thereby assuring and controlling the recirculation of the moist or water laden air in the atmosphere. At 44 is indicated an inlet :01- the 95 sump and at 46 an outlet, while the cabinet itself is shown supported on legs 48 and provided with casters 50. By reference to Figure 4, it will appear that the device may be provided with doors 100 52 and electric lights or other illumination means at 56, but .provided with the heat non-transierring enclosure 58. In Figure 3, a further and specific control or cycle 01' Figure 'I is shown, namely at 60, a valve 62 seated on the auxiliary 5 sump collar against the spring 64 operated by the chain drive 66 in the chain drive tubing 68 directly from the motor timing device '10 which is also connected through the electrical conduit 72 to time the motor so that a period of humidi- 110 fication, intense evaporation and natural evaporation is obtained.

Operation of the device is apparent in that when the motor 4 is started by the motor timing device '70, the cone 14 and the fan 11 both revolve, the cone thereby picking up water from the sump, distributing it as shown by the arrows and the fan forcing the air as shown by the arrows under and above the baskets 32 containing the vegetables and the like through the ports 38 into the duct 36 and 40, and back thru the cycle. Meantime the shutter 30 has been closed by the operation of the ball governor 32. At a predetermined time, the valve 62 will close, water will be shut oif from engagement with the bottom of the cone, and the fan will continue to operate alone giving forced or intense evaporation. Again at a subsequent predetermined time, the device '70 will shut off the motor entirely and the ball governor will then operate to open the shutter 30, thus giving an entire cycle.

It must, of course, be understood that the shutter may be separately timed and controlled and that the cone may be of any desired size or shape and may have an irregular open bottom in engagement with the sump to thereby control the water and pick up; and it will, of course, appear that the water picked up will be controlled by the valves and by the speed of the motor, so that complete flexibility of operation and control is obtainable.

It must also be understood that suitable baiiles are introduced to further deflect the water if desired, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Figure 8 is an enlarged detail of the mechanism to open and close the opening in the top of cabinet 2 having the rod connecting 26 pivoted on the arm 28 which is fastened to one of the rotatable hubs 74 of the shutters 30. A bar '71 with individual wire links '73 operates all the shutters in unison.

Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12 are diagrammatic drawings showing the automatic electric heat operated timer in its four operative cyclic positions showing as well the corresponding movements of the water control valve 60 which is also diagrammatically indicated.

Referring more specifically to Figure 9, the timing mechanism of very positive action as herewith described is located in the timer case '70 and consists of a main frame '75 having two thermostatic metallic bars; the upper is 76 and the lower is '77. These bars are made of two strips of metal bonded together of diiferent coefficients of expansion so that on heating, they distort from a normal straight position into a curved position as indicated at 76a and '7'7a. The thermostatic elements '76 and 7'7 are securely fastened at one of their ends into recesses '78 in the frame '75. The upper bar '76 has a rigid link '79 attached to its movable end which engages through a pin formed at its outer end with a slot 82 in arm 83 which is rigidly fastened to the switch 84, pivotedly mounted on pin 85; a flexible arm of spring steel 80 is secured to arm 79 and terminates in a slotted cross head 81; a pin 86 secured to arm 87 rides in slot 81, arm 8'7 being securely fastened to switch 88 pivoted on the pin 89.

The lower thermostatic element '77 has a rigid arm 90 terminating in a pin 91 riding in slot 92 in the bell crank 93 pivoted at 94; the flexible cable 66 is secured to a pivoted joint 95 in the bell crank arm 93. The resistance coil 9'7 which heats element '76 is connected in a shunt circuit running through the switch 88 and into the main lines 99 and 100, leading to the motor 4. Heating element 98 on thermostatic bar '77 is connected also as a shunt through the switch 84 and connecting into the shunt circuit of resistance element 9'7 at the point 101. The operation of the timing device is as follows: As shown in Figure 9, both thermostatic elements have cooled down so that the mercury in switch 88 closes its terminals and the motor 4 starts; also, the resistance element in shunt connection therewith starts to heat. The element '76 commences to deflect from a straight line position into that shown at 76c, Figure 10. Pin 86 on arm 8'7 has now shifted in the slotted cross head 81 as raised by the flexible arm 80 so that although the element '76 has moved, yet the switch 88 has not been disturbed; on the contrary, rigid arm '79 connecting with switch arm 83 has tipped switch 84 to its closed position so that resistance element now starts to heat and deflect bar '77 into a positionas indicated in TM. This movement in turn through arm 90 and bell crank 93 pushes the flexible cable outward so that it now shuts the water valve 60 and the machine recirculates a forced air blast without water spray. This continues until after a certain interval of time when the extreme movement of bar '76 as shown in Figure 11 tips over the switch 88 to a point where the mercury leaves its terminals and the motor stops and the current through shunt heating circuit connected in at 101 is likewise interrupted. Figure 12 shows the entire mechanism after a certain period of time has elapsed, in which both thermostatic bars have cooled and nearly straightened out, and shows them just before switch 88 is tipped on again by the pin 86 hitting the upper end of slotted cross head 81. The cycle new again repeats itself. It is manifest that by any adjustable well-known device to change the length of the slot in cross head 81, that the timing interval for water atomization can be varied to suit different operating conditions.

What I claim and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A display cabinet for vegetables and the like comprising a closed casing, means of access thereto, an aperture disposed in the bottom thereof and an aperture with means for closing said aperture disposed at the top of said cabinet, trays for containing said vegetables mounted therein, a water sump and water atomizing means positioned in the base of said cabinet, said water atomizing means rotatably mounted on the shaft of an electric motor, means to automatically stop and start said motor on a predetermined timing cycle, and means operatively connected with said motor to open said top aperture closing means when said motor stops and to close said aperture when said motor starts.

2. A device of the type claimed in claim 1 characterized by having said trays composed of mesh material on the sides and bottom thereof, and said trays arranged one above the other and means for supporting said trays in said cabinet, in spaced relationship therein.

3. A display cabinet for vegetables and the like comprising a closed casing, means of access thereto, an opening in the bottom of said cabinet and an opening with closing means therefor in the top of said cabinet, trays for containing the vegetables or like food products, mounted one above the other in said cabinet and supported thereby, a water sump in the base of said cabinet surrounding the said opening in the bottom of said cabinet and water atomizing and air forced circulation means in the base of said cabinet directly above said sump and operatively mounted on the shaft of an electric motor and duct means to recirculate the air contained in said cabinet through and above said trays by said air forcing means.

4. A display cabinet for vegetables and the like comprising a closed casing, means of access thereto, removable trays for containing the vegetables arranged one above the other and supported within the cabinet, awater sump in the base of said cabinet, an electric motor positioned in an opening in said Water sump, a cone connected to the shaft of said motor, the base of said cone immersed in said Water sump, said cone having vanes on its exterior periphery, duct means surrounding said vanes and terminating in openings, severally arranged above each of said trays.

5. A display cabinet for vegetables and the like I comprising a closed casing, means of access thereto, trays mounted one above the other and supported within said cabinet, a water sump in the base of said cabinet, and an electric motor [vertically mounted in said water sump, water atomizing and air forcing means mounted on the shaft of said electric motor and operated thereby, timing means to automatically stop and start said motor on a predetermined time cycle, and duct means terminating at one end and surrounding said air forcing means to positively recirculate the air contained in said cabinet through and about each of said trays.

6. A display cabinet for vegetables and the like comprising a closed casing, means of access thereto, an opening near the top of said cabinet with shutters therein, trays for containing said vegetables slidably arranged and supported within the cabinet, a water sump in the base of said cabinet, and an electric motor vertically mounted below said water sump, water atomizing means and air forced circulation means mounted on said motor and operated thereby, and automatic means operatively connected with said motor to open the shutters in said opening when said motor stops, and to close said shutters when said motor starts.

7. A device of the type described in claim 5 characterized by being controlled by said timing means to provide the cycle of operation giving a predetermined'time interval of water atomization, a predetermined time of forced evaporation and a predetermined time of natural evaporation.

8. A device of the type described in claim 4 characterized by deflecting surfaces on said cone as means controlling said projection of said water atomization in said device.

9. A display stand for vegetables and the like characterized by a water sump in said stand, containers therein, means for supporting said containers above said sump in said stand, a motor driven means including a cone having its lower end immersed in said sump for atomizing water and circulating air in operable relationship with said sump to atomize and evaporate said vegetables and the like from beneath the containers containing the same.

10. A device of the type described in claim 9 characterized by means for rendering said water atomizing means inoperative and allowing said air circulating means to recirculate air through and about the stand.

11. A display stand for vegetables and the like as claimed in claim 9 characterized also by bafiles to project, atomize and distribute said water spray, in said stand and against said containers.

NATHANIEL B. WALES. 

